End suspension container



Jan. I3, 1970 w HUGHES ET AL 3,489,274

END SUSPENSION CONTAINER 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 1, 1968 INVENTORSWILLIAM E.HUGHES DOLPHIN D.OVERTON,I|I RUDOLPH B. RUSTIN,JR

BY F 3 3'1 gm 012 (gijzkaoa) ATTORNEYS Jan. 13, 1970 w. E. HUGHES ET AL3,489,274

END SUSPENS ION CONTAINER Filed May 1, 1968 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORSWILLIAM E.HUGHES DOLPHIN D-OVERTON,IH RUDOLPH B. RUSTIN,JR

ATTORNEYS Jan. 13,1970 w. E. HUGHES ET AL END SUSPENSION CONTAINERDOLPHIN D- OVERTONJII RUDOLPH B-RUSTIN,JR.

ZZZ/W $261M zzm w 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 F IG. 5

WILLIAM E. HUGHES Filed May 1, 1968 ATTORNEYS United States Patent U.S.Cl. 20665 13 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A container for enclosingone or more layers of rolls of material is provided. Each roll ofmaterial is suspended between two end panels that are each independentof the other elements of the container to facilitate insertion andremoval of a roll of material between each pair of end panels. Thecontainer includes a bottom member, an intermediate support, and a topmember with the end panels separating these horizontally extending elements. To prevent outward movement of the end panels, cleats areprovided on the bottom member, intermediate support, and the top member.Securing means extend around the container to prevent the bottom member,intermediate support, and top member from moving with respect to eachother. Battens are attached on the lower surface of the bottom member toprovide additional strength for the container. Skids may be mounted onthe battens to provide access for a lifting means to permit lifting thecontainer, and diagonal bracing may be attached to the sides of thecontainer to further strengthen the container.

This invention relates to end suspension containers and moreparticularly to an improved end suspension container designed forholding articles such as rolls of plastic film, paper, cloth, and thelike that must be suspended during shipping and storage.

Sheets of plastic film, paper, and cloth are commonly rolled about ahollow cylindrical core to form a roll. In roll form the sheet materialis convenient to handle and takes up a minimum of storage and shippingspace.

To prevent damage to rolls of easily deformed materials such as velvetcloth and plastic film, when the rolls are stored in containers, it hasbeen customary to suspend rolls of these materials by the ends of thecore on which they are rolled. Due to the bulk and weight of many clothand film rolls, it is difiicult to place such rolls in the suspensioncontainers, and problems have been encountered in removing the rollsfrom the containers.

These article handling problems have been especially acute in multiplelayer containers, that is, in containers where at least two rolls offilm are vertically superimposed in an integral container.

Another problem of multiple layer end suspension containers for rolls ofmaterial has been the tendency of the rolls of material to be jarred outof their support means in the container by impacts received duringshipping and handling of the assembled container. There has been acontinuing search for lightweight, inexpensive end suspension containersthat can prevent outward longitudinal movement of a roll of materialrelative to the container.

Accordingly, it is a primary object of this invention to provide a newand improved end suspension container.

A further object of the invention is to provide a new and improvedsuspension container that is light-in-weight and yet has sufficientstrength to withstand the forces encountered in transporting andshipping the container.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a container thatmay be easily assembled around articles already positioned on suspensiondevices to obviate the problems involved in placing the articles to besuspended within pre-formed shipping containers having vertical sideWalls.

Another object of this invention is to provide a suspenslon containerthat prior to use may be shipped and stored in a knocked-down form andrequires a minimum of shipping and storage space.

Additional objects of the invention will be set forth in part in thedescription that follows, and in part will be obvious from thedescription, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objectsand advantages of the invention are realized and attained by means ofthe instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in theappended claims.

To achieve the foregoing objects and in accordance with the purpose ofthe invention as embodied and broadly described, an end suspensionshipping container is provided that comprises a bottom member; at leastone pair of independent end panels with the end panels of each pairpositioned at opposite ends of the bottom member, the end panelsincluding suspension means for engaging an article to permit suspensionof the article between the end panels; abutment means on the uppersurface of the bottom member for preventing outward movement of thebottom of the end panels; a top member positioned on the top of the endpanels; abutment means on the lower surface of the top member forpreventing outward horizontal movement of the top of the end panels; andsecuring means for preventing lateral movement of the top member and thebottom member with respect to each other.

Preferably, the securing means comprises strapping that extendslaterally around the container, and the container includes reinforcingmeans such as a pair of reinforcing battens mounted on the lower surfaceof the bottom member, each of the battens including a plurality ofspaced grooves to permit insertion of the strapping therethrough.

It is also preferred that the suspension means includes an opening ineach of the end panels and suspension members that are inserted thereinfor engaging the article.

The invention also includes a multiple layer, end suspension shippingcontainer comprising a bottom member; at least one pair of independentlower end panels with the end panels of each pair positioned at oppositeends of the bottom member, the end panels including suspension means forengaging an article to permit suspension of the article between the endpanels; abutment means on the upper surface of the bottom member forengaging the lower end panels to prevent outward movement of the bottomof the lower end panels; an intermediate support positioned on the lowerend panels; at least one pair of independent upper end panels with theend panels of each pair positioned at opposite ends of the intermediatesupport, the upper end panels including suspension means for engaging anarticle to permit suspension of the article between the upper endpanels; abutment means on the lower and upper surface of theintermediate support for engaging the upper end panels and the lower endpanels, respectively, to prevent outward horizontal movement of theupper end of the lower end panels and the lower end of the upper endpanels; a top member positioned on the upper end panels; abutment meanson the lower surface of the top member for engaging the upper portion ofthe upper end panels to prevent outward movement thereof; and securingmeans for preventing lateral movement of the top member, theintermediate support, and the bottom member with respect to each other.

Preferably, the abutment means on the bottom member, the intermediatesupport, and the top member comprise cleats attached adjacent theperiphery of these members, and the suspension means comprises a flangedtube and an opening in each end panel that permits an end of saidflanged tube to be inserted therein.

The invention consists in the novel parts, constructions, arrangements,combinations and improvements shown and described.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description andthe following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory but arenot restrictive of the invention. The accompanying drawings, which areincorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrateembodiments of the invention, and together with the description, serveto explain the principles of the invention.

Of the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective View of a container constructed in accordancewith this invention;

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view partially in section, of thecontainer of FIG. 1, with the securing means, the articles to besuspended, and all but one tube omitted;

FIG. 3 is an elevation view of the right end of the container of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the container of FIG. 1 partiallyenclosed by a cover and with the securing means omitted;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a portion of another embodiment of theintermediate support of FIG. 1; and

FIG 6 is a perspective view of another container constructed inaccordance with this invention.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 3, a two-layer end suspension container forshipping and storing four rolls of sheet material is illustrated. Eachlayer consists of two rolls with each roll including a web of sheetmaterial wound about a hollow core.

Lettered subscripts have been used in the following detailed descriptionto denote similar elements of the container and rolls that appear in thedrawing more than once.

The lower layer consists of two rolls 10a and 10b and the upper layerincludes rolls 14a and 14b. Each roll is formed by a web of sheetmaterial wound around a hollow core 11. Flanged tubes 12a and 12b andflanged tubes 14aand 14b are inserted into the hollow cores of rolls10a, 10b, 14a, and 14b to suspend these rolls as will be described inmore detail below.

As shown in FIG. 1, the container includes a bottom member 20, anintermediate support 22 and a top member 24 that are each disposed insubstantially parallel spaced horizontal planes. Each of thesehorizontal members is generally rectangular in shape with the length ofeach of the members preferably slightly exceeding the length of therolls.

The widths of bottom member 20, intermediate support 22, and top member24 are determined by the number of rolls to be suspended in each layer,for example, in the container of FIGS. l-4, the width of each of thesemembers slightly exceeds the sum of the diameters of rolls 10a, 10b, or14a or 14b.

In accordance with the invention, pairs of opposed lower end panels arepositioned on the bottom member with the end panels of each pairpositioned at opposite ends of the container, These end panels areindependent of other elements of the container and each includessuspension means for engaging one end of an article or article supportto permit suspension of the article between each pair of opposed endpanels.

As here embodied, and as illustrated in FIGS. l-4, the containerincludes a pair of opposed lower end panels 26a and 28a and another pairof opposed lower end panels 26b and 28b. The suspension means of each ofthe end panels includes a circular opening 34, best seen in FIG. 2, thatpermits insertion of an article or article support such as a flangedplug therethrough. In the container of FIG. 1, an end of a flanged tube12a or 12b is inserted through openings 34 and into the hollow centralcore 11 .4 of the rolls. The tubes have a flanged edge 35 that abuts theouter surface of the end panels. Preferably the diameter of each of theopenings slightly exceeds the outside diameter of the tube that isinserted therethrough, and the inside diameter of the core 11 of therolls slightly exceeds the outside diameter of the tubes.

Preferably the height and width of each of the end panels are equal andthe dimensions of these end panels are equal so that they may be usedinterchangeably. The height and width of the end panels should exceedthe diameter of the roll that is to be suspended therefrom. The Thethickness of the end panels is made suflicient to resist longitudinalcompressive forces caused by loading the container with rolls of filmand preferably, to resist forces resulting from stacking one or moresuspension containers on top of each other.

The end panels may be formed of a variety of strong, lightweightmaterials, such as Wood, plywood, and synthetic organic polymericmaterial.

As shown in FIGS, 1-4, intermediate support 22 is positioned on the topedge of lower end panels 26a, 26b, 28a, and 28b, and is supportedthereby. As here embodied the intermediate support is a flat panel of asuitable material such as plywood.

A pair of opposed upper end panels consisting of end panels 36a and 38ais positioned at the ends of intermediate support 22 above end panels26a and 28a and another pair of opposed upper end panels consisting ofend panels 36b and 38b is positioned on intermediate sup port 22 aboveend panels 26b and 28b. The upper end panels each include a circularopening 44 that provides a suspension means for a tube 16a or 16b.Preferably the size and shape of the upper end panels is identical tothe size and shape of the lower end panels so that the upper and lowerend panels may be used interchangeably during assembly operations.

Top member 24 is positioned on the top edge of the upper end panels toprotect the top surface of rolls 16 and to help prevent outwardhorizontal movement of the top portion of the upper end panels as Willbe described below.

In accordance with the invention, abutment means are provided on theupper surface of bottom member 20, on the upper and lower surface of theintermediate support 22 and on the lower surface of top member 24 forpreventing outward horizontal movement of the end panel. The abutmentmeans engage the edges of the end panels to prevent outward movement ofthe end panels but do not extend between the horizontal members adistance that would interfere with the loading and assembly operations.

As here embodied and as best illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the abutmentmeans on bottom member 20 include longitudinally extending cleats and 52and transverse cleats 54 and 56 that are attached on bottom member 20 toform a continuous abutment that projects upwardly from the periphery ofbottom member 20. Longitudinal cleats 58 and 60 and transverse cleats 62and 64 are attached on the top surface of intermediate support 22 in asimilar manner. A pair of longitudinal cleats 66 and 68 and a pair oftransverse cleats 70 and 72 are attached to the lower surface ofintermediate support 22 about the periphery of the support to form aperipheral abutment. In similar fashion, a pair of longitudinal cleats74 and 76, and a pair of transverse cleats 78 and 80 are attached to thelower surface of top member 24 along the edges of the top member to forma peripheral abutment that depends from the top member.

Preferably, the length of the cleats is sufiicient to provide acontinuous abutment adjacent the edge of the surface to which the cleatsare attached. The Width of each of the longitudinal cleats is preferablypredetermined to be slightly less than one-half the dilference betweenthe Width of the horizontal member (the bottom member, intermediatesupport or top member) and the combined widths of the end panels acrossone end of one layer. The height of the cleats, that is, the dimensionthat the cleats project either upward or downward from the surface towhich they are attached, is selected to be suhicient to prevent outwardmovement of the end panels and preferably to strengthen the horizontalmember to which the cleats are attached.

The cleats may be made from a variety of materials with wood being apresently preferred material. The cleats are attached to the horizontalmembers by conventional means such as nails, or staples (not shown).

As best shown in FIG. 1, longitudinal outward movement of the top andbottom ends of both the upper and lower end panels is prevented by theadjacent transverse cleats attached on the bottom, intermediate support,and top member. Longitudinal inward movement of an end panel ispreferably prevented by the end of the roll of material. Optionally,padding (not shown in FIG. 1) may be inserted between the ends of therolls and the adjacent end panel to cushion the ends of the roll.Transverse movement of the end panels is prevented by the longitudinalcleats that abut top and bottom portions of the outside edge of the endpanels.

In accordance with the invention, reinforcing means may be mounted onthe lower surface of the bottom member for strengthening the containersto permit transportation of the containers by a lifting means andstacking of the containers one on top of each other without damage tothe containers and articles at the bottom of the stack. As hereembodied, and as illustrated in FIG. 3, the reinforcing means includes apair of longitudinally extending battens 84 and 86, and a pair oftransversely extending braces 88 that extend between the battens.

Preferably, battens 84 and 86 extend parallel with and are spaced fromthe longitudinal edges of bottom member 20 and extend the length of thebottom member. Braces 88 are positioned adjacent the opposed ends ofbottom member 20, and preferably a brace 88 is placed directly under endpanels 26a and 26b and another brace 88 is placed directly under endpanels 281: and 28b to assist in the transfer of compressive forces fromthe end panels to the base of the container.

Battens 84 and 86 and braces 88 may be made of a variety of strong,relatively lightweight materials such as wood. The battens and bracesare attached to the bottom by conventional means such as nails (notshown).

In accordance with the invention, securing means are provided forpreventing movement of the top member, intermediate support, and bottommember with respect to each other when the container is assembled. Theoverall structure of the container allows use of securing means that maybe rapidly attached by unskilled labor.

As here embodied and as illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, the securingmeans includes strapping 94, 96, and 9S and six grooves 100. A groove100 is positioned adjacent each end of battens 84 and 86 with a groovepositioned intermediate the ends of each batten. The grooves allowpassage of the strapping over the lower surface of bottom member 20without the necessity of extending the strapping around the battens. Thestrapping extends laterally around the container and is secured undertension by clips (not shown). The tension on the strapping effectivelyprevents lateral movement of top member 24, intermediate support 22, andbottom member 20- with respect to each other.

As shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of skid blocks 106 can be mounted on thelower surface of the battens to provide access for lifting means to betransversely inserted over the lower surface of the bottom member. Theskid blocks are attached to the battens by conventional means such asnails (not shown).

Referring to FIG. 4, it can be seen that a cover, generally 108, may beprovided to form an enclosure about the container of FIG. 1 to protectthe articles suspended thereby from dust and small foreign objects. Thecover is mounted over the top member 24, the intermediate support 22,and the bottom member 20, and is at least partially supported by topmember 24. Cover 108 includes end walls 110 and side walls 112 that formclosed ends and sides for the container, and end flaps 114 and sideflaps 116 that may be folded to provide a closed top for the container.

Preferably, if a cover is provided, the strapping 94, 96, and 98,illustrated in FIG. 1, is extended around the cover rather than underthe cover so that the strapping helps seal the cover over the sides andends of the assembled structure.

FIG. 5 illustrates an intermediate support, generally 117, that is amodification of the intermediate support 22 of the container of FIG. 1.The ends of the intermediate support 117 are identical so the structureof only one end is illustrated and described. Intermediate support 117includes three transversely spaced longitudinally extending strips 118,120, and 122 that are connected at one end by a cleat 124 extendingacross the lower surface of each of the strips and a cleat 126 thatextends across the upper surface of each of the strips. Longitudinalcleats 130 are attached to the outer strips 118 and 122 on the uppersurface of these strips, and longitudinal cleats 132 are attached on thelower surfaces of these strips.

Preferably, strips 118, 120, and 122 are of equal length and the stripsterminate so that the ends of the strips are aligned to fall intransverse planes adjacent the ends of the container. The cleats areattached to the strips by conventional means such as nails or wirestaples (not shown). The strips may be of any convenient material ofsuitable strength. Plywood is a presently preferred material. The use ofstrips to form the intermediate support allows significant cost savingsover the use of a panel having similar load bearing capacity.

FIG. 6 illustrates another embodiment of the invention pairs of upperend panels. Elements of. FIG. 6 that are similar to elements of FIG. 1have been given the same numbers.

The securing means of the embodiment of FIG. 6 includes additionalstrapping 136, 138, 140, and 142 and diagonal braces 144 and 146. Theadditional strapping extends longitudinally over top member 24 andextends longitudinally under bottom member 20, and extends over the endsof the container. Clips (not shown) are used to secure the additionalstrapping under tension.

Diagonal braces 144 and 146 are attached by conventional means such asnails 147 to the side edges of top member 24, and to battens 84 and 86to strengthen the container.

Additional skid blocks 148 and an additional batten 150 are attached tothe lower surface of bottom member 20 to provide a strong stable basefor the container.

Another variation in the container of FIG. 6 is the position of thetransverse cleats 54, 62, 70, and 78 at one end of the container. In theembodiment of FIG. 6, these transverse cleats are spaced from the end ofthe horizontal members (bottom member 20, intermediate support 22, andtop member 24) to which they are attached. A predetermined distance isused for the spacing so that end panels 26a, 26b, 260, 36a, 36b, and 36cof the container, when abutting the inside surface of these cleats, arespaced apart from the end panels at the other end of the container, adistance that slightly exceeds the length of the rolls to be packaged.

Thus, articles having differing lengths may be conveniently packaged incontainers formed from a bottom member 20, an intermediate support 22,and a top member 24 that have the same length It will be apparent tothose skilled in the art that the longitudinal and transverse cleatsthat form abutments on bottom member 20, intermediate support 22, andtop member 24 may be positioned inwardly of both the longitudinal andtransverse edges of these horizontal members to accommodate end panelsof various widths and articles of various lengths.

Longitudinal inward movement of the end panels of the container of FIG.6 is prevented by the insertion of padding 152 between the ends of therolls and the end panels. The padding can be felt or a resilient plasticmaterial.

A method for assembling the container of FIGS. 1-3 will now bedescribed. Preferably the elements of the container are shipped to theuser in a knocked-down condition. As received by the user, the bottommember would preferably have the battens 84 and 86, braces 88, cleats50, 52, 54, and 56 and the skid blocks 106 attached thereto.Intermediate support 22 would have cleats 58, 60, 62, and 64 attached onits top surface, and cleats 66, 68, 70, and 72 attached. on its lowersurface. Top member 24 would have cleats 74, 76, 78, and 80 attached onits lower surface. The end panels and the tubes 12a, 12b, 16a and 16bwould be shipped independently of each other and independently of theother elements of the container.

In the packaging of a roll of sheet material, handling equipment such asa horizontally extending cantilevered bar may be conveniently used tosuspend the roll of sheet material during the initial steps ofassembling the container of FIG. 1. Prior to mounting the core of theroll of film on the bar, a flanged tube 12a is inserted through endpanel 28a and the flanged tube and the end panel are inserted into oneend of roll 10a. Tube 12a and end panel 280! are moved to the supportedend of the bar with the flange 35 of tube 12a adjacent the supported endof the bar and with the hollow core 11 of roll of film 10a telescopedover the cantilevered bar. Alternatively, tube 12a and end panel 28a canbe mounted on the bar'before their insertion into one end of roll 10a.Desirably, padding is inserted between the end of roll 10a and end panel28a and the end panel and roll are pushed together so that they abut thepadding.

Subsequently, another tube 12a is inserted into opening 34 of end panel26:: and the tube is inserted into the .other end of the core of theroll of film. Preferably,

padding is inserted between the end of the roll and end panel 26a, andthe tube is telescoped into the core until flange 35 abuts the outersurface of the end panel 26a. The roll of film can now be taken off ofthe cantilevered bar and the end panels 26a and 28a positioned on bottommember to suspend the roll. The weight of roll 10a is transferred to thehollow core 11 of the roll, to the flanged tubes 12a, to the end panels264: and 28a, and subsequently tobottom member 20, and consequently doesnot deform the surface of the roll.

In similar fashion, end panels 26b and 28b and tubes 1217 are mounted onanother roll 10b and the roll of film is subsequently positioned onbottom member 20 adjacent roll 10a where it is supported by end panels26b and 28b, and tubes 12b.

Intermediate support 22 may now be dropped in position over end panels26a, 26b, 28a, and 28b with the cleats on the lower surface of theintermediate support forming an abutment to prevent outward movement ofthe end panels.

After intermediate support 22 is in position, rolls 14a and 14b aremounted on end panels 361: and 38a, and 36b and 38b, respectively, usingthe procedure outlined above for mounting roll 100. Next, end panels 36aand 38a, and 36b and 3811 can be placed on intermediate support 22 withrolls 14 suspended therebetween.

Subsequently, top member 24 is placed on the upper edge of end panels36a, 36b, 38a, and 38b with the depending peripheral cleats 74, 76, 78,and 80 forming an abutment to prevent outward movement of the upperportion of these end panels.

After the top member is in place, strapping 94, 96, and 98 is insertedthrough the grooves 100 in batten 84, extended across the lower surfaceof bottom member 29, inserted through grooves 100 in batten 86, andextended over one side of the container, over top member 24, and overthe other side of the container. Subsequently, the strapping is securedunder tension by clips (not shown).

When a cover such as illustrated in FIG. 4 is utilized to prevent dustor small foreign objects from contacting the roll of product, the coveris preferably mounted on the container after the top member ispositioned and before strapping is extended around the container. Afterthe cover is mounted, strapping is extended around the cover and bottommember 20 to secure the container and help place the cover in sealingcontact with the remainder of the container.

Assembly of the container of FIG. 6 can proceed in a manner similar tothe assembly described above for FIG. 1 with the following variations.

The length of the rolls illustrated in FIG. 6 is significantly less thanthe length of bottom member 20, intermediate support 22 and top member24. Consequently, the transverse cleats 54, 62, 70, and 78 at one end ofthe container are attached by the container manufacturer a predetermineddistance inwardly of the end edge f the horizontal members on which theyare mounted. The end panels 26a, 26b, 260, 36a, 36b, and 36c thus abutthe transverse cleats and outward longitudinal movement of the rollsrelative to bottom member 20, intermediate support 22, and top member 24is precluded.

Inward longitudinal movement of the end panels is prevented by insertingpadding 152 between the ends of the rolls and the end panels and bybringing the end panels and the ends of the rolls into abutting contactwith the padding.

Three pairs of end panels 26a and 28a, 26b and 28b, and 260 and 280 arepositioned on the bottom member 20, and three pairs of end panels arepositioned on intermediate support 22.

After strapping 94, 96, and 98 is secured about the partially assembledstructure, additional strapping 136, 138, 140, and 142 is extendedaround the structure and secured under tension by clips (not shown).

Next, diagonal braces 144 and 146 are fastened to the side edges of topmember 24, and the outside surface of battens 84 and 86 by conventionalmeans such as nails 147.

The containers described above can be easily assembled about an articleto be suspended therein to reduce the article-handling problems involvedin suspending an article in a container having preformed side walls; canbe handled by a lifting means; can be stacked one on top of each otherwithout damage to the container and article at the bottom of the stack;and can be produced at a low cost.

It will be aparent to those skilled in the art that variousmodifications and variations could be made in the containers of theinvention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention.

The invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specificdetails shown and described, but departures may be made from suchdetails without departing from the principles of the invention andwithout sacrificing its chief advantages.

What is claimed is:

1. A multiple layer, end suspension shipping container for shippingrolls of material comprising:

(a) a plurality of rolls, each of said rolls including a central coreand a sheet of material wound around said central core;

(b) a bottom member;

(c) at least one pair of independent lower end panels With the endpanels of each pair positioned at opposite ends of said bottom member,said end panels including suspension means for engaging the central coreof one of said rolls to permit suspension of the roll between said endpanels;

(d) abutment means on the upper surface of said bottom member forengaging said lower end panels to prevent outward movement of the bottomof said lower end panels;

(e) an intermediate support positioned on said lower end panels;

(f) at least one pair of independent upper end panels with said endpanels of each pair positioned at opposite ends of the intermediatesupport, said upper end panels each including suspension means forengaging the central core of one of said rolls to permit suspension ofthe roll between said upper end panels;

(g) abutment means on the upper surface and lower surface of saidintermediate support for engaging said upper end panels and said lowerend panels, respectively, to prevent outward horizontal movement of theupper end of said lower end panels and the lower end of said upper endpanels;

(h) a top member positioned on said upper end panels;

(i) abutment means on the lower surface of said top member for engagingthe upper portion of said upper end panels to prevent outward movementthereof; and

(j) securing means for preventing lateral movement of said top member,said intermediate support, and said bottom member with respect to eachother.

2. The container of claim 1 wherein said abutment means on said bottommember, said intermediate support and said top member comprise cleatsattached adjacent the periphery of said bottom member, said intermediatesupport, and said top member to prevent outward movement of said endpanels.

3. The container of claim 1 including two pairs of lower end panels andtwo pairs of upper end panels.

4. The container of claim 1 wherein said suspension means includes aflanged tube and an opening in each end panel that permits an end ofsaid flanged tube to be inserted therein.

5. The container of claim 2 wherein said intermediate support includes aplurality of longitudinally extending strips that are connected by saidcleats attached to said intermediate support.

6. The container of claim 1 wherein said securing means includesstrapping that extends laterally around the container.

7. The container of claim 6 including reinforcing means mounted on thelower surface of said bottom member for strengthening the container topermit stacking of the containers on top of each other.

8. The container of claim 7 wherein said reinforcing means includes apair of battens mounted on the lower surface of said bottom member, saidbattens extending longitudinally along said bottom member, and whereinsaid securing means includes a plurality of spaced grooves in saidbattens to permit insertion of said strapping therethrough.

9. The container of claim 8 including skid blocks mounted on the lowersurface of each of said battens to provide access for lifting means 10.A multiple layer, end suspension shipping container for shipping rollsof sheet material wound on a hollow core, comprising:

(a) a plurality of rolls, each of said rolls including a hollow centralcore and a sheet of material wound around said central core;

(b) abottom member;

(c) at least one pair of independent lower end panels with the endpanels of each pair positioned at opposite ends of said bottom member,each of said end panels including an opening;

(d) a plurality of cleats positioned adjacent the periphery of the uppersurface of said bottom member and attached thereto for forming abutmentsthat prevent outward movement of the bottom of said end panels;

(e) an intermediate support positioned on the upper edge of said lowerend panels;

(f) at least one pair of independent upper end panels positioned atopposite ends of said intermediate support, each of said upper endpanels including an opening;

(g) a plurality of cleats attached to the lower and upper surface ofsaid intermediate support for forming abutments to prevent outwardhorizontal movement of the top of said lower end panels and bottom ofsaid upper end panels, respectively;

(h) a top member positioned on the top edge of said upper end panels;

(i) a plurality of cleats attached on the lower surface of said topmember for forming abutments that prevent outward movement of the top ofsaid upper end panels;

(j) a plurality of flanged tubes sized for insertion through saidopenings in said lower and upper end panels and for insertion into thehollow core of the rolls to permit suspension of the rolls by said endpanels;

(k) reinforcing means for strengthening the container to permit stackingof the containers on top of each other; and

(l) strapping extending laterally around the container for preventinglateral movement of said top member, said intermediate support, and saidbottom member with respect to each other.

11. The container of claim 10 including a cover for forming closedsides, ends, and a closed top for the container.

12. The container of claim 10 wherein said reinforcing means includes apair of battens mounted on the lower surface of said bottom member, saidbattens extending longitudinally along said bottom member, and whereinsaid securing means includes a plurality of spaced grooves in saidbattens to permit insertion of said strapping therethrough.

13. The container of claim 10 wherein said intermediate support includesa plurality of longitudinally extending strips that are connected bysaid cleats attached to said intermediate support.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,137,142 11/1938 Nelson et al.206-60 2,609,957 9/1952 Sester 217-48 2,614,689 10/1952 Miller 206-602,853,185 9/1958 Rollie 206-52 2,930,481 3/1960 Bebie 206-60 3,214,01510/1965 Budd 206-65 3,217,875 11/ 1965 Scheibel 206-65 3,371,776 3/1968VoiSSem 206-65 WILLIAM T. DIXSON, JR., Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R.217-42

